Breakaway on SI

Kings Captain Defying Age During Stellar Season

The Los Angeles Kings are being led by their captain who isn't showing any signs of his age.

Nick Horwat

Nov 11, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Nov 11, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images / Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
In this story:

Even though the NHL has become a much younger league, the long-time veterans are still finding ways to produce at the highest level, including Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar. At the ripe age of 37, Kopitar is leading the Kings in scoring and is on pace for nearly a career-high in points.

Through 29 games in 2024-25, Kopitar has scored eight goals and 24 assists for 32 total points. His career high in points came in 2017-18 when he posted 92 (35G-57A) in all 82 games played. He’s currently on pace for 91 points.

Coincidentally, Kopitar’s 92-point campaign was the last time he produced over a point-per-game pace. The 2024-25 season has already been outstanding for Kopitar as he hopes to lead the Kings to one last deep playoff run before the end of his career.

The 2025-26 season is the final year on Kopitar’s contract, and by then he’ll be 38-years-old. It’s fair to question if he’ll want to keep playing, but he’s doing all he can to revitalize the Kings this year.

For three straight years now, the Kings have gone up against, and lost, to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a 17-9-3 record, the Kings are currently ahead of them in the Pacific Division, but if the season ended today, that would be the first-round matchup yet again.

The Kings and Oilers are yet to square off in the regular season, but with Kopitar turning back the clock, and a lot of help coming from all over the lineup, it’s fair to say Los Angeles might finally have the edge.

Kopitar’s dominance this year has been something to behold and has given the Kings a big boost as of late. The Kings recently saw a winning streak end at six games, and Kopitar played a hand in each one.

During their six-game run, Kopitar put up seven points and extended a hot streak to 17 points in 13 games.

Kopitar has been hard to ignore this year and he’s doing much of what Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have done these past few seasons. As elder statesmen in the league, they’re fighting off Father Time for outstanding campaigns well into their 30s.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway OnSI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Published
Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

Home/News Feed Page